Synthetic production of ammonia



Dec. 26, 1933. A. E. HECKER 1,940,860

SYNTHETIC PRODUCTION OF AMMONIA Filed Jan. 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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Dec. 26, 1933. A E, HECKER 1,940,860

SYNTHETIC PRODUCTION OF AMMONIA Filed Jan. 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 INVENTOR A r/Aw E, flea/fer 54320 WWAQAA TTORNEY5 Patented Dec.2 6, 1 933 SYNTHETIC PRODUCTIQN or AMM I 7 Arthur E. Heck er, Niagara Falls, N. .Y., as's ignor to The Mathieson Alkali Works, 1116., New York,

. N. Y., aoorporationof Virginia 7, r

Application January 13, 19 28; s erial hlo. 246,484 7 c 4. claims. (oi; sea-19s) improved apparatus and procedural steps bywhich the production of ammoniacanbe accomplished in an :efiicient and economical manner.-

A more specific object of the invention is to provide means for efficiently removing certain more of such steps With respect to each ofthe' others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement'of parts which are adapted "to effect such steps, allas exemplifiedjin the following detailed disclosuraand the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For-a fuller'understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to-the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in

which: 7 I Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View, of one embodiment of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of another of the apparatus; and

Fig. 3 is a diagram, in the nature of'a flow w.sheet, illustrating one embodiment of the'process.

Ammonia is made synthetically in a circulating system through which a suitable mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is pumped under pressure and at elevated temperature over a catalyst, which-causes the hydrogen and nitrogen to combine'to form ammonia. While. various types of apparatus have been suggested for this purpose,

this system generally includes, 1 among other things, a converter or reaction chamber, which holds the catalyst over which the mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen is passed; heat exchanges which raise or lower the temperature of the gases part be embodiment 'cuiatinggases to that of the newor make-up gases which are supplied toreplace that which 1 was removed as ammonia. The"make-up gases are pumped into the circulating li'nes, sometimes at a point before the circulator, and-"sometimes In such processes the make-up gases which are commercially used are not 'sufiiciently freefrom undesirable gases, such as carbondioxide, which are classedas impurities and, for the elimi nation of such,'elalzvoratev systems and procedural steps have beensuggested. For example,- the removal of these undesirable substances is usually accomplished by scrubbing the I fmake-upTgase's with water'and various chemicals at high pressure. This method,. howeveii is' costly; bo'th' in materials and labor, in that'it requires high-pressure pumps inaddition to'the scrubbing towersi" I havefound that the removal of carbon di oxide can be accomplishedsimplyand efiici'ently by the useof theprinciplesof the" present invention. As above indicated, the condensers, etc. do notremove all of the ammonia from the gases coming --from the converter and I have. developed a method and-"means -for utilizing the ammonia remaining inthe circulating gases,

liver:

herein referred to as residual ammonia, to

eliminate the carbon dioxide. in the make-up gases.

. Itis well known that admixture of ammonia gas with carbon dioxide causes the two gases to combine, and that at ordinary temperatures the resultant product (ammonium carbonate) is in solid form. As will be seen from the drawings-I have pr'ovided'a mixing chamber 10, which not ammonium carbonate, thus obviating the difficulty of clogging the pipes of the circulatory system. c r

To facilitate this action, the chamber 10 is provided with an inlet 11 for circulating gases, and an inlet 12 for the make-up gas, said inlets being preferably opposed to each other to facilitate uniform-mixing. The chamber is also provided at its other end with an outlet 13 leading through the circulatory system to the converter. Since the deposition'of solid ammonium carbonate is sometimes quite extensive, the chamber 10 is also provided withcleaning openings 14. and 15, which are normally closed by valves 16, and through which the chamber may be flushed out with water at occasional intervals. It is to be understood, of course, that to facilitate such cleaning operation, the system preferably should be provided with duplicate chambers 10, which may be alternately used in the circulatory system, and one of which may be cleaned while the other is in use.

In the exemplification shown in Fig. 1, the interior ofthe chamber 10 contains a packing, such as broken stone or the like 17, which will not impede the flow of the gases to too great an extent and which will present sufiicient voids for the accumulation of a considerable amount of solid ammonium carbonate.

In Fig. 2 is shown another form of interior construction of the chamber 10, in whichv opposed.

matter contained in theabove; description or shown in. the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as-illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be saidto fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In, the synthesis of ammonia by circulation of a gas mixtureincluding hydrogen and nitrogen cyclically over a catalyst, then through an ammonia separator, then 'over the catalyst, and so on, the improvement which comprisesv supplying make-up gases originally contaminated with carbon dioxide to the circulating gas mixture leaving the ammonia separator and separating,

ammonium carbonate formed solely by reaction with carbon dioxide present as an impurity in the make-up gases from the resulting gas mixture as a solid before the remaining gas mixture is passed over the catalyst.

2. In the synthesis of ammonia by circulation of a gas mixture including hydrogen'and nitrogen cyclically over a catalyst, then through an ammonia separator, then over the catalyst, and so on, the improvement which comprises effecting reaction between the residual ammonia content of the gas mixture leaving the ammonia separator and the carbon dioxide content of makeup gases originally contaminated therewith and separating ammonium carbonate formed solely by reaction with carbon dioxide present as in impurity in the make-up gases from the resulting gas mixture including themake-up gases before the remaining gas mixture is passed over the catalyst.

3. In a process of synthetically producing ammonia, in which a mixture of hydrogenzandnitrogen is passed over a catalyst and a portion of the, ammonia isremoved by condensation or the like, the improvement which comprises admixing the-circulating gas containing, residual ammonia with make-up gas containing carbon dioxide in a region of reduced velocity, anddepositing solid ammonium carbonate formedsolely by reaction with carbon dioxide originally present as an impurity in the make-up gas in said region.

4. In a process of synthetically producing am monia, in which a mixture of hydrogenandnitrogen is passed over a catalyst and agportion ofthe ammonia is removed by condensation or the like, the improvement which comprises contact.-

ing the circulating gas containing residual ame, 

